Gemotions

The silence in the car was thick, pressing down on Ethan. He found Chloe in the passenger seat, practicing Arabic phrases from a language learning app on her phone. He’d barely heard a word spoken in the language, yet she had been learning in secret.

Ethan's hands clenched on the steering wheel. The car felt too small, the air too thin. He had always been so open and honest with Chloe. This, this felt like deception.

He pulled over abruptly, the sudden stop jarring him. "Why?" he managed to choke out. Chloe looked up, her expression uncertain, and the words died in his throat.